by Simon, Paul
First published 1997
Salvador Agron walks the streets of Spanish Harlem in his signature cape, a member of the Vampires street gang. The year is 1959, and sixteen-year-old Sal carries himself with the bravado that comes from running with a crew. But one night on a playground changes everything. Two boys lie dead, and Sal finds himself convicted of murder, facing execution in the electric chair. The youngest person ever sentenced to death in New York, he must navigate a criminal justice system that sees him as disposable. Prison walls cannot hold him forever, and when he breaks free, his real journey begins. This musical drama follows Sal's transformation from street tough to something more complex, tracing how violence reshapes a young life. Paul Simon and Nobel laureate Derek Walcott collaborate to tell this true story, weaving together the rhythms of Puerto Rican culture with the harsh realities of urban America. Sal's story becomes a meditation on redemption, identity, and the possibility of change even after the worst mistakes.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: redemption, transformation
Setting: New York, Spanish Harlem
Period: 1959
96 pages · Hardcover · Farrar Straus & Giroux
Content warnings: violence